What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

The Barr Has Been Raised at UMaine

Status
Not open for further replies.
amkirby10 said:
I think there's something else about this team that isn't properly being discussed. Barr's system is very different from Gendron's. Less emphasis on dump and chase, less physically aggressive play, different and better breakout, etc. I don't think it's a coincidence that for the most part, a lot of the top players on the team so far have been transfers brought in by Barr this year (Breazeale and Hebert, and to a lesser extent Fawcett). Adapting players that were recruited for and played in (for most of them) a very different system than what's in place now is going to be tough. I think results will only improve as his system takes deeper root and more of the players in his vision populate the program. I'm still fully convinced the program is completely in the right hands, and I don't think anything I see on the ice this year could convince me otherwise. This is the definition of a transition year.
Click to expand...

I was very encouraged this past weekend with the breakout. So much more improved. Yes they had a few flashes to the past but it's improving, quickly.
The neutral zone play and entering the offensive zone will come, Im sure. There was less dump in.
I sort of think that the transfers brought in were just better players to Barr than some on the old roster, who also must not have fit into future plans. They were available and willing so why not.
It will be interesting to track recruits etc over the next year to see what the team may look like next year. I bet Barr has it on his mind first thing every day.
 
Last edited:
I think it's mind-boggling to see how many people assumed this team to even be middle of the pack this year merely based on a new coach. Last year's team was putrid and in a transition year, you expected them to be...better? As others have mentioned, many of the best players on the ice for Maine have been transfers / freshman that Barr brought in. That's no coincidence. It's nice to see disciplined, formulated hockey instead of the dump / chase / goon style defense of JD Greenway and co.

Give it time. Nobody wants to sit through a rebuild, especially after not being at the Alfond at all last year. Truthfully, I think we all feel robbed going from the doorstep of a NCAA tourney bid / Hockey East run with the Swayman led team before Covid ended that, followed with the abysmal season last year. It sucks, but Ben Barr is the correct man for the job.

If you're going to panic after an opening weekend against Sacred Heart, you might as well not tune in because things are going to get worse before they get better. If the process remains good, talent will mend a lot of the issues - and track record says Barr is going to get that done. Go Blue.
 
walrus said:
I'm trying to figure out why Maine should have beaten Sacred Heart easily? The Maine sweater automatically wins against an AH conf team?? Maines 2 Natl Championships from 100 years ago scares all incoming teams ? The ghost of Shawn hangs out in the visitors locker room? So now that they lost and tied I'm supposed to believe Barr sucks or something??
'
Click to expand...

Correct. Maine has been categorically abysmal for years. There is really no debate. The style of play (gross slow "finish your checks" and dump and chase) and lack of discipline were a direct reflection of the staff and its inability to adapt to the changes in college hockey over the last decade plus. Minus a particular Bruins goalie how much worse is the record over the last five years? Maine lost to a Canadian college 5-0 and got outshot by about 20 at home with largely the same roster two years ago. Another loss to the 17-18 year old kids at USNTDP, also at home. Vermont is BRUTAL, worse than Sacred Heart, yet still has managed to beat the pedestrian Blackbears regularly under previous regime. Maine was grossly outshot in 12 of the 15 games last season. Outplayed in EVERY GAME! They were brutal.

Coach Barr has been here for ten seconds. The players he brought in this year are all having a positive impact. Breazeale, a freshman, might be the best D man on the team, and he was without a home 3 months ago. He has committed players from programs that Maine has historically been unable to get players from. They played the number 6 team in the country and got whipped, and played a top end NCHC team on the road, losing twice, but 100% hanging with them which former regime Maine teams couldn't do. Atlantic Hockey teams have 18 scholarships, and have beaten BC, BU, Notre Dame and Maine all this year already. Hockey East teams shouldn't consistently lose to an inferior conference (for now), but pretending that a team stacked with USHL players and grad transfers a year away from opening of an elite building is a push over is short sited in my opinion. Maine has played faster, cleaner and more efficient than they ever did under the previous staff, maybe actually shifting into the 21st century of college hockey where you can't just dump the puck and run defensemen. Its been said here and in hockey circles over and over - Barr was the architect of recruiting classes that won national championships at schools with far less - think about that, 3 of 4 schools he has touched have won national championships. Maine was one of the worst teams in HE consistently under the former staff, literally one of the worst teams in all of college hockey, with a staff who had 7 years to fix it.

Maybe I'm one of the few, but I couldn't be happier with the way the future looks. #endrant
 
Jackcurtis23 said:
Maybe I'm one of the few, but I couldn't be happier with the way the future looks. #endrant
Click to expand...

I don't think you're one of the few. I might be on the more optimistic side, but I think everybody here has plenty of optimism and recognizes it's going to take time and not be an overnight improvement, aside from perhaps one particular poster.
 
Let's say you bought a house. A decrepit, terrible, falling down, termite infested mess of a house. But the land is fantastic. You don't come in and add a fancy new convection oven and subfloor heating to the same house. That would be insane, you'd be putting expensive fixtures in a house that is just going to continue to decay. Instead, you tear the house down to the studs and do a basement to rooftop renovation. That's what Maine hockey was. A decrepit, terrible, falling down, termite infested mess of a house.

Regardless of who was coaching the team, this was going to be a team that lost a LOT of hockey games this year. This team was awful last year, it has taken an embarrassing number of penalties for years, and it has played dump and watch bad hockey. That isn't something that can be fixed less than a month into the next season. Baby steps. Being one of the least penalized teams in the nation so far is a good start.
 
I’d say I’m hopeful Ben does well. If he isn’t successful it isn’t necessarily a poor reflection on him. If you look across sports some situations work out and others don’t. There are a million different factors and luck plays a massive part. You can’t convince me Umass gets anywhere close to the frozen four without Makar. One stroke of luck like that can make all the difference in a program.

With all of that being said I don’t think it’s unfair to be critical about Maine’s performance last weekend. That was a gilt edged chance to get a couple of wins and Maine didnt even get one. This isn’t a good Maine team but it isn’t a completely hopeless team either. A hockey east team should be beating an Atlantic hockey team at home the vast majority of the time. If the games had been elsewhere I’d cut him more slack.

I see this weekend as a lost cause but hopefully against UConn Maine can get off the mark. Perhaps others disagree with me but I don’t think losing this year serves any purpose. It’s not like you get a better draft pick or something like that.
 
Drew S. said:
Perhaps others disagree with me but I don’t think losing this year serves any purpose. It’s not like you get a better draft pick or something like that.
Click to expand...
Who the fuck wants them to lose?? They don't have the talent to win if Shawn Walsh or Herb Brooks were behind the bench. I know you like to troll on the cafe but are you trolling here also?
 
Tango said:
If anyone is looking for another team to follow have a look at the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. They have four future Black Bears including the newest commitment Arnott, the acclaimed Nadeau brothers, and a Red holdover Pichette.

The team is 5-0 and all future black bears are major contributors.

https://www.pentictonvees.ca/stats/player-stats/12
Click to expand...

I believe the Nadeaus and Pichette are actually on a line together too.

It would be interesting to know what the plan with dmen is. I would have to think a lot of the guys who committed under Red will be cut lose. I do hope Kincaid shows up as he looks very promising.
 
Drew S. said:
Maine got another commit tonight: https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...99/reid-pabich

He’s having a good season in the USHL.
Click to expand...

Good commits seem to coming in very quickly. This kid has tons of USHL experience so he should be a player who will be ready for the college game. I like the fact that the coaching staff seems to be hitting all different leagues and not just going after USHL players. Early in Red’s tenure it felt like we were picking up the scraps in the USHL just because it produces the most college talent.

Barr was advertised as a great recruiter and he’s going out and finding players. Who knows how they will perform but he looks like he is laying the foundation for success. There have been a good blend of older and younger guys committing over the past few weeks. If this team improves over the season and plays his style, in addition to having quality players commit, I think it’s a great success. Like he said all along, the 3rd season is when we should start to gain some real traction.
 
Drew S. said:
I’d say I’m hopeful Ben does well. If he isn’t successful it isn’t necessarily a poor reflection on him. If you look across sports some situations work out and others don’t. There are a million different factors and luck plays a massive part. You can’t convince me Umass gets anywhere close to the frozen four without Makar. One stroke of luck like that can make all the difference in a program.
Click to expand...

Maybe Makar was the key to getting them moving at the outset, but don't forget, they didn't win until Makar had moved on from the program. And I don't think you can point to a similar transcendent talent with Union or PC (other than BU's goalie who threw the puck into the net for PC) that got them to the top after being pretty much unremarkable programs pre-Barr.

Everyone gets lucky once in awhile. Some folks even might be in the right place at the right time twice. When you get to three, though, it's exceedingly difficult to chalk it up to "luck".

Drew S. said:
With all of that being said I don’t think it’s unfair to be critical about Maine’s performance last weekend. That was a gilt edged chance to get a couple of wins and Maine didnt even get one. This isn’t a good Maine team but it isn’t a completely hopeless team either. A hockey east team should be beating an Atlantic hockey team at home the vast majority of the time. If the games had been elsewhere I’d cut him more slack.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with about 95% of what you said here. Definitely a pair of missed opportunities.

Drew S. said:
I see this weekend as a lost cause but hopefully against UConn Maine can get off the mark.
Click to expand...

UConn's HC is an abhorrent knob. They can't lose often enough for my liking. Go UMaine.
 
Chuck Murray said:
Maybe Makar was the key to getting them moving at the outset, but don't forget, they didn't win until Makar had moved on from the program. And I don't think you can point to a similar transcendent talent with Union or PC (other than BU's goalie who threw the puck into the net for PC) that got them to the top after being pretty much unremarkable programs pre-Barr.
Click to expand...

I'd argue that (Floridian) Shayne Gostisbehere was the transcendent talent for Union. He may not have put the puck in the net as much as Makar, but he was the original definition of a puck-moving defenseman.
 
FLHockeyMom said:
I'd argue that (Floridian) Shayne Gostisbehere was the transcendent talent for Union. He may not have put the puck in the net as much as Makar, but he was the original definition of a puck-moving defenseman.
Click to expand...

I think that's the closest (Gostisbehere) Union had to a transcendent talent, but I didn't/don't think he quite measures up with Makar, who was/is probably a generational talent, much like prior HEA talents like Leetch and Paul Kariya were. Gostisbehere is probably along the lines of BU's Chris Drury, best player/leader of a talented, well-rounded team, but not next-level talent. Maybe Monty was a UMaine example of a similar player? Put Monty and Kariya together, though ...
 
BlackBearFan19 said:
Good commits seem to coming in very quickly. This kid has tons of USHL experience so he should be a player who will be ready for the college game. I like the fact that the coaching staff seems to be hitting all different leagues and not just going after USHL players. Early in Red’s tenure it felt like we were picking up the scraps in the USHL just because it produces the most college talent.

Barr was advertised as a great recruiter and he’s going out and finding players. Who knows how they will perform but he looks like he is laying the foundation for success. There have been a good blend of older and younger guys committing over the past few weeks. If this team improves over the season and plays his style, in addition to having quality players commit, I think it’s a great success. Like he said all along, the 3rd season is when we should start to gain some real traction.
Click to expand...

Maybe we'll see a major uptick by the 3rd or 4th season, but seeing Barr's 1st class will give us an indication of things to come.

This season will likely be a washout, but it's a silk purse/sow's ear deal... There isn't much for Barr to work with here. Red drove this program 6 feet under, God rest his soul.
 
Last edited:
6/10/14/18. Wins per each year as a sign of progress. Maybe a tad conservative…the 6 this year is based on a weak HE.
Effort and discipline first, talent comes later.
 
amkirby10 said:
Here's a hot take: Maine picks at least one game off NU this weekend.
Click to expand...

I think there’s a chance, I might eat my words here but I think Northeastern is overrated. Their goalie is legit but it seems like they always have a lot of hype coming into the season and never live up to it. They just dropped a game to UConn so hopefully Maine comes out strong Friday night and takes it.
 
Roll another one,
Just like the other one.
You been holding onto it,
And I sure would like a hit!

Don't bogart that joint my friend,
Pass it over to me!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top